461 Ocean Boulevard

What is this - comeback album week at The Daily Vault? Yesterday, we looked at Aerosmith's return from the dead ( Done With Mirrors).Today's subject ...

461 Ocean Boulevard
Provided By:The Daily Vault

461 Ocean Boulevard
Eric Clapton
Polydor Records, 1974
REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 12/01/1997
What is this - comeback album week at The Daily Vault?Yesterday, we looked at Aerosmith's return from the dead ( Done With Mirrors).Today's subject is Eric Clapton's 461 Ocean Boulevard -- his first studio album after kickinga nasty heroin habit.
It wasn't that Clapton's career was dead; he had scored majorhits with his 1970 solo debut and as a part of Derek And TheDominoes. But his battle with drugs caused him to shut himself outfrom the rest of the world. He was dragged back into reality byPete Townshend -- who would fight his own battle with drugaddiction and win -- in January 1973; the Rainbow Concert wasClapton's first step in his "comeback."
So, 461 Ocean Boulevard symbolized Clapton's victory over drugs,as well as his return to the music scene. And from the openingnotes of "Motherless Children," you can hear that Clapton is backwith a vengeance -- if just a tad unsteady. "Motherless Children"features a slide solo that flashes back to Clapton's work withDerek And The Dominoes and the slide work of the late Duane Allman,and has a vocal performance that makes one wonder how Clapton everquestioned his ability as a singer.
The standout here is Clapton's cover of Bob Marley's "I Shot TheSheriff," a cover that not only scored Clapton a number one hit,but also opened the eyes of many people to Marley's music. While itdoes not hide Clapton's rock roots, it also does not betray thereggae flavor of the tune's original genre.

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